Baikal double

[AHughes]

Hello fellas , I have a biakal mp-221 in 45-70 and she's a good shooter but I bought it as a possible start of a build , it has the adjustable barrel regulation and I was going to develop a load for it then make ribs and solder them in , but this lead me to the question has anyone had the barrels come out of adjustment or did they stay well regulated ?

I'm also toying with the idea of rechambering it to more to the tune of 45-90 or 45-110 really just for kicks but still in limbo on that as I bought it thinking I'd need to do a lot of work to it to be a shooter but presently surprised it's not a bad little gun, .... granted I know many feel it's really not a classic double or not of the quality most desire but non the less it's a good start for me on my budget right now

Thanks for listening let me know your thoughts

 

[Kevin Peacocke]

Leave it just the way it is.

 

[AHughes]

I just may , it seems to like some of my home grown 405g cast loads ....

 

[Kevin Peacocke]

I have just been on you tube looking at Baikal double rifle reviews. They seem to shoot pretty well and yes the finish isn't great, but they don't pretend to be anything else. At least there is a bottom rung beginner double out there for those who aspire but need to start somewhere.

 

[Hunter4752001]

If you solder in the ribs you'll affect the barrel harmonics and regulation. A friend did that with his 30-06 version. It never shot well again.
I'd be reluctant to rechamber to a longer cartridge. No scientific reason, just a belief its been engineered to be safe with a specific cartridge length and anything else may push beyond its design limitations.
Enjoy it for what it is. If you want something more powerful, then buy something designed for the purpose.

 

[Bob Nelson 35Whelen]

Hello fellas , I have a biakal mp-221 in 45-70 and she's a good shooter but I bought it as a possible start of a build , it has the adjustable barrel regulation and I was going to develop a load for it then make ribs and solder them in , but this lead me to the question has anyone had the barrels come out of adjustment or did they stay well regulated ?

I'm also toying with the idea of rechambering it to more to the tune of 45-90 or 45-110 really just for kicks but still in limbo on that as I bought it thinking I'd need to do a lot of work to it to be a shooter but presently surprised it's not a bad little gun, .... granted I know many feel it's really not a classic double or not of the quality most desire but non the less it's a good start for me on my budget right now

Thanks for listening let me know your thoughts

@AHughes
Our gunscribe Nick Harvey tested on years ago and was very impressed with it. He loved the idea of being able to regulate it easily to whatever load you were using. He didn't mention it having the regulation altering once set.
If you are worried about it you could use some nail polish or light loctite to hold it.
The only thing he found was when using 405 grain loads at 1700 to 1800 fps the recoil was getting up there.
A rechamber to 45-90 would step it up a notch or three and make it an awesome weapon.
Who cares if it's not a classic double, it's a tenth of the price of one and allows for a lot more shooting fun.
Bob

 

[Bob Nelson 35Whelen]

I have just been on you tube looking at Baikal double rifle reviews. They seem to shoot pretty well and yes the finish isn't great, but they don't pretend to be anything else. At least there is a bottom rung beginner double out there for those who aspire but need to start somewhere.

@Kevin Peacocke
Yes they aren't pretty but they are built like a brick outhouse. For the price they are it could always be restocked in a better grade of timber to make it look better and fit better and still be a good double for a lot less than 4 grand.
45-90 sounds better to me, but I ain't normal.
Bob

 

[Bob Nelson 35Whelen]

If you solder in the ribs you'll affect the barrel harmonics and regulation. A friend did that with his 30-06 version. It never shot well again.
I'd be reluctant to rechamber to a longer cartridge. No scientific reason, just a belief its been engineered to be safe with a specific cartridge length and anything else may push beyond its design limitations.
Enjoy it for what it is. If you want something more powerful, then buy something designed for the purpose.

@Hunter4752001
If it handles the pressure of the 30-06 it should surely handle the lower pressures of the 45-90.
Bob

 

[AHughes]

I'm probably overthinking the barrel regulation adjustment, I was just very surprised on how little of an adjustment made a huge difference on poi so I got to thinking it may shift depending on how hard I am on it ..... not saying i beat on my guns but none of my rifles are safe queens they get used and usually hard , my marlin 1895 45-70 is my pig gun that rides in my airboat with me so I was able to get a set of irons that I'm really liking now , and when most thought I was a little loopy for going to the lengths I did to make it what it is now it's my perfect tool for the job and I guess that's what I'm thinking with this new to me sxs , I dont mind working with something to make it rock solid,, I just got bit by the double rifle bug and this is my first and in one of my favorite to load calibers and loving the simplicity so far

 

[Sarg]

I think the mono block on these isn't really up to longer chambers & they are very light (recoil becomes a factor) also you can load the 45/70 to do almost any thing any way & you would have to reload a 45/90 if you rechambered.

You can how ever make it look nicer, we have had a discussion on these here before.

 

[AHughes]

Very nice .... I'll do a little more digging in the archives here thank you !

 

[Sarg]

Sorry @AHughes I'm a bit slack on my IT & couldn't put a link up the one with the worked over Baikal was "Enter the Minefield of Double Rifles from Baikal"

 

[npm352]

Cool gun. I'd leave it as is

 

[Hunter4752001]

@Bob Nelson 35Whelen Dangerous to simply look at pressure figures in isolation. The critical factor to look at is the rearward thrust as applied to the locking mechanism (called bolt thrust in bolt actions, but same prinicple in any design). The thrust is calculated by multiplying the pressure by the area it operates over. In the case of a firearm its the pressure times the area of the inside by the case head. Area varies by the square of the radius ie double the radius equals 4 times the area. When you do the calculations you find that the rearwards thrust from a 28,000 PSI 45-70 load is in the same neighborhood as a 60,000 PSI 30-06 load. This would be why Baikal specifies loads in the 45-70 not to exceed 28,000 PSI.

 

[Kevin Peacocke]

I think the mono block on these isn't really up to longer chambers & they are very light (recoil becomes a factor) also you can load the 45/70 to do almost any thing any way & you would have to reload a 45/90 if you rechambered.

You can how ever make it look nicer, we have had a discussion on these here before.

View attachment 466035

Wow, that is very attractive indeed, well done! Who did the stock work?

 

[HWL]

Hello fellas , I have a biakal mp-221 in 45-70 and she's a good shooter but I bought it as a possible start of a build , it has the adjustable barrel regulation and I was going to develop a load for it then make ribs and solder them in , but this lead me to the question has anyone had the barrels come out of adjustment or did they stay well regulated ?
Thanks for listening let me know your thoughts

Sarg's picture in #10 shows my rifle....

I had plenty of opportunity to gather experience regulating this gun.

This gun only has an azimuth regulation, not an elevation.

The azimuth regulation is tricky, but it works.

I ended up 2 1/2" high with the shot from the second/left barrel at 100 m.

This is not bad for a SxS and insignificant for shots at 50 yards, common for hunting situations with this gun.

To make ribs and solder them in means, you give up the azimuth regulation.

Do not think, this is a good idea....

My friends gave the nickname "the T 34 of double riles" to the rifle.

.... it's from Russia, it's ugly, but it's effective.




HWL

 

[ofbiro]

It'from Russia, i.e. from the aggressors. Send it to the Ukraina embassy as a contribution.

 

[HWL]

It'from Russia, i.e. from the aggressors. Send it to the Ukraina embassy as a contribution.

German Canceler Olaf Scholz asked me the same question,.... my answer was, better ship the "field howitzer 2000".

HWL

 

[Spooksar]

@Hunter4752001
If it handles the pressure of the 30-06 it should surely handle the lower pressures of the 45-90.
Bob

Bob I have one in 30-06 if I use factory 180 gr ammo it will lock the action , but is ok with 150 gr loads. Don’t know why it would do this as you would thinks the pressure would be the same

 

[AHughes]

When it locks the action do you have to put pressure on it like your closing it again to free it up or is it just stiff to open?